MoonLight Howl
by Rickycool
Summary: Toboe, a member of the MoonLight tribe, was chosen by the Alpha to retrieve their stolen Lost Precious. No one knows why he was chosen, but he will soon find out the true meaning behind that Lost Precious. And the person who currently holds that treasure.
1. Prologue

_ Years ago, in the sacred land named the Jerio Land, lived numerous tribes of beasts. Some beasts were legends that were believed to have ceased to exist, while some were already known by the human kind. Your first impression would be that those beasts would look as they appear to be, right? Like a dragon would look as all people imagined it. But apparently, that wouldn't appear as it would be. In reality, those beasts that we speak of are no different from humans, only that they can morph to their own beast blood and gain its abilities._

_ All tribes tend to have a knack for collecting treasure, mostly Lost Preciouses. And so, to protect their treasures, each tribe built their own 'safe' and hid their treasures there. The safe depends on the tribe, for it could be a cave or in a volcano. One of those beast tribes is a wolf tribe, called as 'MoonLight'. Their safe was located somewhere hidden deep in the Forest of Trickery, where only they can sniff out where their safe is. The MoonLight tribe were known in Jerio for their silver white fur, and that they were stealthy, diligent thieves. They steal various Lost Preciouses from other tribes, and from breakers and collectors as well. The only treasure that they had that was truly theirs was a Lost Precious passed down from generation to generation in the tribe itself. The Lost Precious's name was only known in the tribe, and that treasure was hidden in the deepest part of their safe._

_ But then, an incident happened that came to the loss of their most prized possession. A couple of breakers or collectors managed to get their hands on the Lost Precious, making their way in the Forest of Trickery and through the safe's camouflage. It was said that a young wolflet in the tribe was the cause of the incident, assuming that he was being followed by the intruders through the forest and into the safe. This case was then told to never be spoken of, as ordered by the Alpha of the tribe. The Lost Precious was then unknown by the upcoming wolflets, and was only known by the adults and elders of this time. And so, the MoonLight tribe's Lost Precious has been forgotten for the next couple of years, and for more years to come._

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><p>"Toboe, listen up!"<p>

"Eh? Wha...?"

I stiffened up as I snapped my head towards the old man in front of me, trying to ignore the grove of trees in the distance. I smiled nervously at the old geezer, seeing as he was getting pissed off from my constant daydreaming.

"Did you hear what I just said, Toboe?" the geezer asked angrily, gritting his teeth as if to show that he was getting pissed off.

"Uh... um..." I muttered nervously, rubbing the back of my head as I looked to the side. "Err..."

A vein popped on the geezer's head, glaring at me with his narrow, dark gray eyes. He then hit my head with his staff, making me squat and hold my head in pain.

"Youch!" I reacted.

"You ungrateful little brat! You should listen to your elders, you know!" he huffed, crossing his arms as I kept my stance. "Why did the Alpha choose you to do this mission anyway? You're just a kid!"

"Like I would know." I muttered under my breath, making the geezer turn to me as I stood up.

"What's that you say?"

"No, nothing."

"Anyway, since you weren't listening before, I'll repeat it again. Just remember that if you don't listen now, I won't repeat myself."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You insolent brat! Sigh, just listen... Eleven years ago, our tribe, the MoonLight tribe, lost our most important treasure. I'm sure you've already known of this from the Alpha himself, but that treasure was a Lost Precious, passed down for generations to come. I do not know the reason why the Alpha exempted you from knowing about this information, for this incident was told to never be spoken of ever again. And now, the Alpha has given you the task of retrieving the Lost Precious from the thieves, which were the humans who call themselves 'breakers' and 'collectors'. Many of the elders, including myself, the Beta, objected for you to take up this important mission, but the Alpha completely insisted on you being the one."

I actually listened to what old man Shinku was saying, probably because I was getting excited about my so called mission. I tried bottling up my excitement, since I didn't want to suddenly show up my ears and tail at this time.

"The Alpha would seem to be quite reckless to send you off with this important mission, but I guess him, being the Alpha, sees something inside you that would level you worthy of leaving this matter in your hands." he continued, sighing. "You may be an expert thief and has some experience in some battles, but you're still just a kid. I still doubt your skills and that they're not enough for you to face the humans yet."

I stared at Shinku for a while, and then held up his staff in my hands.

"What're you talkin' 'bout, Jii-tan?" I voiced out, closing my right eye as I waved the geezer's staff around. "You're just gettin' senile, that's all."

"What the! You imbecile!" Shinku barked, pointing at me as he flailed his arms. "Give me back my staff!"

"Alright, here."

I handed the sturdy looking, but old staff to the geezer, then prepared to take some serious hits from him. But he didn't budge a bit, just standing there with an unusual smile on his face. I shot a confused look at him, wondering what was wrong with him. Maybe he really was getting senile after all?

"Ah... Sorry about that, Toboe," he suddenly muttered out, showing the smile he always wears. "It's just that... You're still young and I don't want you to embark on such a dangerous mission... But it seems I can't treat you like a child forever, isn't that right?"

I just nodded slowly, staring at the old man's worried and concerned eyes.

"Oh, well. I guess the Alpha saw your adolescence, and he wishes for you to become strong."

I went silent, looking down at my feet. Shinku, the old man who has been the one constantly hitting me, was actually worried about me. I can't blame him though, since he's been like a grampa to me, and I guess for him, he also sees me as his grandson. I gritted my teeth, and then clenched my hand to a fist as I placed it in front of my chest.

"I'll be back..." I muttered, showing my grin. "I'll definitely back, and I'll have the Lost Precious with me! So, you don't have to worry, Jii-tan! I promise you that! And I keep my promises!"

"Toboe..."

The old man chuckled as I continued grinning, the sun's light illuminating the cave we were outside of.

"You better keep you promise then, Toboe. Even though you didn't promise, you should still bring back the Lost Precious, since it's an order from the Alpha," the geezer chuckled as he straightened his pose, tapping his staff lightly on the ground. "so, you better get going then. The sun's already up."

"Heh, I know that, Jii-tan," I grinned, turning to the grove of trees as I started walking towards it. "You don't have to remind me. I'm not senile like you."

I then revealed my silver white ears and tail, leaping on the branch of a tree. I looked back at Shinku, who was still smiling at me as he waved lightly.

"Say goodbye to Alpha and the others for me, Jii-tan!" I grinned, showing my fangs as I waved at him. "And please stay alive till I get back!"

"You don't have to say that, you idiot!" he grinned, waving back at me. "I'm still not that old, you know!"

"Hehe!"

We exchanged grins, and then I turned to the forest and started leaping from tree to tree. And the last thing I heard from old man Shinku was:

_"I look forward for your return, Toboe Riku."_

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. Please review, for this is my first FF here (though not really my first ever fanfic). Even though it's quite short, please tolerate it for this time! Arigatou gozaimasu! ^_^<br>**


	2. I Meet A Few Strange Strangers

**Hullo. Ricky here. I finally updated! I know, it took me so long 'cause of other RL things, but nevertheless! R&R people!**

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><p>"Eh? Such a peaceful town..." I breathed in, finally stepping out of that cramped up bus. "Hmm... Is the Lost Precious hidden somewhere in this town perhaps?"<p>

Ah, a little fresh air at last. Most of the places I've been through have been too polluted, so much that I always wore a long scarf around my neck to try and cover up my sensitive nose. It's been quite some time since I left the Jerio land; actually it's been two years since then. I've managed to cope up with the humans, and some of the mannerisms and what not I wasn't used to before. I could still remember my first day away from the tribe, and that I walked around a town with only my ragged shorts on, revealing the beast mark on my bare back. A few days after, I managed to get my hands on some clothes, and of course, as the thief I was, I stole them. And then soon, I learned different kinds of things from humans. Hm? What's that? Oh, that's right, I haven't introduced myself yet properly. The name's Toboe Riku, I just turned sixteen, and I'm a wolf. You probably already know about the part when I left the MoonLight tribe in search for our lost treasure, so then, let's get on with the story.

I went to walk around the whole town, since I decided to go wolf later at night, so that I could familiarize myself with the surroundings, and that I could do the scanning and searching faster. It took me the whole day, and I was as tired as an athlete running a marathon around the world. I decided to rest somewhere the moment I saw a place I could rest on, and was about to turn to a corner, when something [or someone] suddenly bumped into me. The two of us collided and fell on the ground, making me rub my head in pain.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, old man!" a young girl's voice huffed, making me look up. "Really! I still can't get used to humans doing that from time to time."

"Wha... Don't just go and call me an old man, you brat! Just because I have silver hair doesn't mean I'm a geezer." I talked back as I stood up, dusting myself off.

I then turned to the girl I bumped into, and saw that she was already standing up. She looked pretty young, a few years younger than me, and she wore a certain school uniform, and that she had blue short hair and amber eyes. I had this strange sensation inside of me, the kind of sensation when I get close to another beast. To check up on my hunch, I scanned the girl's body to see if there were any kind of beast markings, but found out that there was no such thing on her.

"Hey, old ma-I mean, mister! Pay attention to where you're going from now on, okay?" the amber eyed girl told me, annoying me since a little girl was telling me what to do.

I was about to reply, when another girl, who had long blond hair and was wearing the same school uniform, tackled the amber eyed girl. That startled me a bit since I had that same sensation again, but then, I just stood there, looking at the two gals.

"Sapphie! What are you doing?" the blond girl asked the amber eyed girl. "Ryuji says we have to go home."

"Ah! Rose! Don't just appear out of nowhere and suddenly jump on me like that!" the amber eyed girl voiced out. "Anyway, I was about to, when this guy showed up and bumped on me."

"Hey, hey, little brat, don't twist the story," I interrupted, holding out my hand as if to stop her from talking any further. "You're the one who ran into me."

"Who are you?" the blond girl bluntly asked, making me turn to her.

"Shut up, you stranger!" the amber eyed girl barked, pointing her finger at me. "Or else, by the power of the blue dra-"

"Ah, Rose, Sapphie!" a different, male voice suddenly called out, making me turn to the side. "Sapphie, don't just run off like that. You too, Rose."

And so, I came to the conclusion that the amber eyed girl is named Sapphie, and the blond girl is named Rose. Typical.

"Ah, who is this?"

A guy about my age appeared, and he wore a school uniform, almost like the male counterpart of the gals' school uniform. He had short black hair, and had that innocent look on his face. He didn't feel any different, not like the two gals.

"M-Me? Well, I'm just a passerby who was ran into by a blue haired brat," I replied, pointing out Sapphie, the amber eyed, nonchalantly. "but I'm fine now, anyways."

"Huh? Sapphie, you did?"

"Ugh... I don't care! Let's just go home now!" she retorted, stomping past me.

"Ah! Sapphie, wait!" Rose, the blond girl, exclaimed, running after the amber eyed.

"Um... uh... W-Well then, goodbye." the black haired guy breathed out as he went after the two, leaving me staring into space.

I blinked for a few times, and then started to walk through the side walk again.

_That was pretty strange... Those two girls almost had the same level of beast aura... Almost stronger than mine, and very, very high. It's almost as if they were..._

I stopped walking, spotting a small isolated field, with a tree. Seeing as no one was around, I walked over to the place, and then looked up at the tree to find a branch that was big enough for me to lie down. There was one, though it was kind of high up. Nevertheless, determined to rest up for tonight, I climbed up the tree and to the branch, and then positioned myself comfortably on it.

_Heh... I can't believe I actually found something like this. Trees are good to sleep on, especially on its branches..._

I yawned as I felt my feet getting sore, resting my hands behind my head. I slowly closed my eyes, and soon, I drifted to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Ugwaah!"<p>

"Just tell me where the Lost Preciouses are, old man!"

_Hm? Where am I?_

"N... Never...!"

_Wait... Isn't that Jii-tan! What... Why is he getting beat up!_

"Stupid old geezer... I'll let you off for now, but I'll come back tomorrow for more interrogations."

_J-Jii-tan! Hey! Can't you hear me? You bastard! What the hell did you think you were doing to Jii-tan!_

"Haa... Haa..."

"Stay put until tomorrow, or else your puppy mates will be going with that puny leader of yours. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Urk..."

_Huh? What's he talking about? Is it... the Alpha! Bastard! What did you do to the Alpha! What did you do to the whole tribe!_

"Well then, see you tomorrow, old geezer."

_Jii-tan! Hey, talk to me, damn it! Can't you see me! I'm right in front of you!_

"Urgh... That idiot... When will he realize that I won't give in...?"

_Jii-tan..._

"I just hope... Toboe's safe... And that he won't come back now... I wouldn't want him to come back with our tribe in this situation..."

_What're you talking about, Jii-tan? I am so going back right now, even if I still don't have the Lost Precious with me!_

"Please, Toboe... Please be safe..."

* * *

><p>"Waah!"<p>

I suddenly woke up falling from the branch I was sleeping on, landing on something hard and bulky on the ground. I stayed on the ground for a while, muttering small curses as I felt the pain coursing through my body. I then sat up slowly, and noticed that my furry ears and tail were out, probably from the shock just now. I realized it was still daytime, but then a voice suddenly muttered below me.

"Ow... Oww... Pain..." a feminine voice grumbled, startling me.

I backed away a few meters as I saw that the hard and bulky thing that I fell on top of was a brown haired girl. I stared at her as she slowly sat up, rubbing the back of her head. She then turned and glared daggers at me, but then faded to a startled face. I was about to apologize to her, when I suddenly realized that my ears and tail were still visible. Shocked, I immediately covered my ears with my hands, and hid my tail on my back. I felt my face blush, both from embarrassment and from the girl's stare.

"H-Hey... Um, sorry about... you know, falling on top of you..." I managed to mutter out, still covering my ears.

She was still staring at me, though I could feel that she was staring at my ears. I wanted to conceal my ears and tail right then and now, but I knew that she'd be confused and would start asking questions. Unexpectedly, she stood up and walked towards me, making me sweat a little. She then kneeled and took a hold of my wrists, eyeing me with her brown eyes.

"Wait... Wha-What're you...?" I stammered as she pulled my hands away from my ears, revealing my silver wolf ears. "Ah... Th-They're just accessories! Just accessories! You know, cute doggy ears...?"

It seemed she didn't buy my explanation, and so, she took a hold of my ears and started pulling.

"What the... Ow ow ow ow ow! It hurts! Stop it!" I yelled, flailing my arms as she kept on pulling. "Stop! Waaah!"

She let go of my ears, making me cover them with my hands again because of the pain. I could feel she was still staring at me, so I looked up to meet her eyes. I almost yelped when I saw her ears, seeing as she had furry wolf ears like mine, except hers was brown. I stared at her for a while, and then noticed that she also had a brown tail. She then grabbed a hold of my head, making me lock eyes with her. Her eyes were different colors, and they were also mismatched. Her left eye was gray and her right eye was amber. I couldn't help but stare, and then noticed that she was asking me a question.

"Who _are_ you?"

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><p><strong>It's short. Yes, short. Not long. Agh! Sorry! I did this chapter in a hurry, so I'm really sorry, folks! But please review!<strong>

**Arigatou gozaimasu! ^_^  
><strong>


	3. I'm The New House Pet

**Hullo. Ricky here, at last. Sorry for the delay, and now, please enjoy Chapter 2.**

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><p>Alright. There's one very important thing you should know about me. And that is: I <em>hate<em> baths. I really, really hate baths.

If you're laughing, shut up; if you aren't, then stay like that. The thing is, water isn't really the problem. It's the shampoos and soaps I'm worried about. I mean, what's the use of 'em? Shampoos can sting your eyes, and they taste real bitter. Soaps, too. I can't even imagine myself bathing with shampoo in my hair and my body covered soap, thinking there are different kinds of chemicals in those products! But no, she just had to force me to take a bath, with shampoo and soap even! And right now, I'm laying in a water half-filled bathtub, with the upper-half of my head surfaced from the water, grumpily making bubbles.

In case you're wondering where I am right now taking a bath, I'm actually in Aika's house. Yeah, _Aika Makihara_, the brown haired girl's name. After I told her my name an hour ago at the park when she asked me who I was, she hit me in the head like I was an idiot. And then, she invited me to come to her house to talk. Well, invited wouldn't be the right word; more like _forced_. And the weirdest part was that she told me to go wolf [on which I obeyed], so that she can introduce me to her parents as a big, silver-furred, stray dog. I mean, she already told me that her parents already knew she was a she-wolf, so why hide me then? I couldn't ask her then, because at that time, she already told me to take a bath. After a few tantrums and chasing around the house, she managed to shove me into the bathroom, blackmailing me that if I didn't bathe [with shampoo and soap], no dinner for me. And now, I'm here.

I took my time in the bathroom. I've done my torturous bathing, and I was just killing time in the bathtub. I took advantage of the time to think about the dream I had an hour ago, before I met Aika.

The tribe was in trouble, the Alpha was in danger, Jii-tan was held prisoner, and a bad guy was the cause. That probably summed up the dream I had. So, the hard thing is that I have to choose whether to take Jii-tan's advice, which is to stay safe and not come back home, or go back, fight the bad guy which is super powerful 'cause he had the power to defeat Alpha, and probably meet my doom. The choice would probably be obvious, but this is the tribe I'm talkin' about. My only home. But the Lost Precious... I've spent two years finding it, and if I go back home now, I might not want to leave the tribe ever again. All that hard work... Gah! I don't want to think about it anymore! It makes my head hurt!

I suddenly heard a knock form the door, startling me and making me almost jump up. I barked like a dog in case Aika's parents came to check up on their daughter, but a familiar female voice spoke instead.

"Hey, it's just me," Aika said. "Hurry up, 'cause we still need to talk after dinner."

I barked in response, standing up and getting out from the bathtub. I grabbed the nearest towel and dried myself, and then put on the shirt Aika gave to me. The shirt was her dad's, so the I HATE WAR-printed shirt was quite loose and baggy. I then wore the same end-torn shorts I had from the tribe, and coiled my grayish long scarf around my neck. I almost thought that I didn't need to wear clothing since my clothes would just morph along with my body when I go wolf. But then, I remembered that Aika and I would have to talk later after dinner, probably in her room, so I had to wear clothes if we were to talk in person.

As I was done, I morphed to wolf-me, and then opened the door with my paw. The door was easy to open, probably because the doorknob wasn't the type that you have to rotate it. It was the kind where it had a horizontal handle, which you have to push down to open.

Aika greeted me with an annoyed look on her face, making me whimper.

"Sorry." I apologized, which probably looked weird since it made me look like I was a talking dog.

"Come on," she muttered as she made her way to the dining room. "dinner's ready."

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><p>"So, are you going to keep him?" Aika's mom asked, making me look up from my dinner.<p>

Just for your information, my 'dinner' was good 'ol dog food, but trust me, for a wolf, it tasted like dry styrofoam. I don't know what people put stuff in dog foods, but I clearly did not want to know. Anyway, I just told Aika to bring me any meaty food when we go to her room, which she fortunately agreed.

"I dunno. It depends on whether the dog likes it or not." Aika replied, looking at me with her brown eyes. I gave her a small glare, and then I turned to the food bowl in front me, pushing it aside with my paw. She seemed to get the idea, making her sigh. "Maybe the food'll scare him."

I gave a little growl, trying to tell her, _Shut up, the food is the one that's scared of me_. She just ignored me and continued on with her human food, while I was stuck with styrofoam-flavored dog food. I grunted, watching the Makihara family eat their dinner.

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><p>As we arrived at her room, I immediately morphed back to human form, and caught the grilled meat Aika threw at me. I started devouring it as I sat on the carpet on the floor, with Aika staring at me with a disgusted look on her face.<p>

"You're welcome." Aika muttered, with slight sarcasm.

"No prob," I replied, grinning. "though the dog food tasted like styrofoam."

"What?"

"Nothing."

She gave me a suspicious look, but then, shrugged it off and sat on her bed.

"Hey, Toboe," Aika called.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"Who are you, really?"

"Uh... Toboe Riku?"

Aika glared at me like I was stupid, the same glare before at the park.

"I'm asking who you are, not what your name is, dolt," she clarified. "like, are you really a wolf? How old are you? Fill out your biography form."

"Um... Okay..." I said stupidly. "Well, I'm Toboe Riku, I'm sixteen, and I'm a wolf from the Moonlight tribe. I-"

"Wait, hold up. Moonlight tribe?"

I didn't plan on revealing too much information to her, but if she asked questions, well, I think I can trust her. Probably.

"Uh, it's a wolf pack, I guess." I replied, crossing my arms. "Except that we're wolf people, and that we're a, you know, tribe."

Aika just nodded, though the look on her face was either confusion or surprise. I can't blame her, though. Since the Jerio land was isolated from human civilization, only few breakers and collectors know about it. Why those people haven't spread the word about the existence of the Jerio land, I have no idea. It must be one of those cheesy, but just lines like, _"People will destroy this place if I tell on them."_ or those with evil intentions like, _"This place is mine! I own all of the beasts and Lost Preciouses here!"_ But either way, the Jerio land's getting more visitors each year, and the word about us beasts have been spreading slowly.

"I live in a place far away from here," I continued. Now that I think about it, I could have lied to her all this time, but I just can't bring myself to. Why? Probably because of those intense brown eyes trying to melt me down. Or the fact that she's cute, and that it's enough to make me believe she's good hearted.

"Which far away place?" Aika asked.

I sighed, resting my hands behind my head. She's obviously going to ask every single detail about me. But the real question is, _why_? I mean, I think it's pretty normal for a person to ask a strange person he just met for his name, but the way Aika was asking questions was like trying to confirm some statement she wasn't sure about. I then just put my thoughts aside, and decided to just trust her with Jerio land's existence.

"In the Jerio land." I said bluntly.

I didn't expect her to be surprised or anything, since I highly doubted she knew anything about the Jerio land.

I was wrong.

"I knew it!" Aika exclaimed, snapping her fingers.

I was surprised. Shocked. Stunned. Any more adjective that would make me stare at her with disbelief. My mind was racing, and it was filled with questions. How did she know about the Jerio land? What is she going to do with me, now that she knows that I'm from the Jerio land? Is she going to force me to take her there? I managed to snap myself out of my thoughts, and jerk up to a stand.

"Wait a minute!" I almost yelled, though it was loud enough to get Aika's attention. "How-How do you know about the Jerio land?"

At first, she stared at me like, _'Why shouldn't I know, stupid?'_ until she realized something like, _'Oh, right! It's supposed to be a secret!'_

I stared at her with disbelief. She was now obviously not just a normal person. Well, except the fact that she's a she-wolf, but other than that, she shouldn't be able to know about the Jerio land. Unless... she's a breaker, or a collector. With a high level at that. But it's impossible. For the two years of my life in the human world, I've never seen a high leveled breaker as young as Aika. Well, not that I know of so far. But still!

I didn't realize I was still staring at Aika while I was deep in my thoughts, until she threw a pillow at me. Now, _that's_ one effective way of getting someone else's attention. I hit the ground with my back, and the pillow was kind of stuck on my face. I sat up immediately and let the pillow slide down my face, but before I could even say, _'What'd you do that for!'_, Aika beat me to it.

"Listen when someone's talking, dog breath!" she half-yelled. "You were the one who asked a question, and yet you're not listening."

"Oh." I breathed out, making me nostalgic because old man Shinku used to always tell me that. Not the dog breath part, though.

"Hmph. Anyway, as the answer to your question, my father's a collector."

"He is?"

"Yes, I just said that. He has a colleague that's an eight leveled breaker, and they once discussed something about a land full of mystical creatures in the house. The-"

"The Jerio land." I finished.

Aika just sighed and nodded, crossing her legs as I situated myself on the carpet more comfortably.

"So..." I breathed out, catching Aika's attention. "How exactly do you know all this?"

"Well," Aika rubbed the back of her neck nervously, which made her look cute, since it made her look like an embarrassed little girl. "I was, you know, around the area, and I heard them talking. So, I kind of, you know..."

"I get it, I get it. You eavesdropped on them, so now you know." I finished for her, although she really did look cute the way she stammered like that.

"Yeah."

There was a short awkward silence after that, and I was about to say something, when a clacking noise suddenly made me perk my ears up. Well, actually, it made my wolf ears appear first because I was startled, and _then_ made my ears perk up. Aika seemed to notice too, and her ears were also morphed. I heard footsteps coming this way, and my first guess was _'Daddy's coming!'_ I immediately went wolf, diving under the bed like a dog catcher was about to come in the door. Aika, having realized before me, already concealed her wolf ears, and I saw her feet touch the floor.

"Who is it?" she asked before the person behind the door even had the chance to knock.

The door opened slightly and I saw a foot slide in, and it seemed like my guess was right. The foot itself was enough to identify that the person was a male.

"Oh, Ai. You're still awake?" Aika's dad asked, slipping inside the room.

"Yeah, can't sleep." I heard Aika reply.

"Is that why you keep on yelling, because you can't sleep?"

"Oh, about that. I was just..."

I could tell she was thinking of some excuse as her feet fidgeted in front of me, when her feet suddenly stopped.

"Ah, I was just telling the dog not to do stuff he wasn't supposed to do. Like, sleeping on my bed and stuff."

Aika's right foot kicked the side of the bed, like she was telling her dad I was here. Which she obviously was. I saw her dad kneel and look down to see me, a playful smile on his face.

"Tsk, tsk, you have to be more understanding if you want to stay here." he seemingly told me as he stood up, his feet stepping towards the door. "Goodnight, Ai. And no more yelling."

"Yes, father." Aika replied.

And then the door quietly closed, her dad's footsteps slowly fading away.

"You can come out now, you know." Aika pointed out, though she didn't really need to.

I crawled away from the bottom of the bed as I made some grumbling sounds, and then sat up and looked at Aika straight in the eyes.

"What?" she asked uncomfortably.

I kept on staring at her until I went human again, my legs and arms both crossed.

"Oh, sure. Blame the dog." I grumbled with sarcasm.

For a moment there, she smiled, and then she stood up and walked towards the wall beside the door.

"Sorry about that. I couldn't think of any more excuses." she apologized, switching off the lights. "We'll decide things in the morning. Goodnight, Toboe."

She then walked back to her bed, and then lied on it as she pulled the blankets. I stayed seated on the carpet, deciding where to sleep. I eventually just picked the carpet, and so I morphed back to wolf-me for convenience.

"Goodnight, Aika." I said. "Promise not to tell anyone about the Jerio land?"

There was a short silence after that, and I almost thought she was already asleep, but then she replied with a word that felt like a burden was thrown off my shoulders.

"Promise."

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><p><strong>Yay! At least now it's a little longer. Please review, people! Ricky is out, peace! \m**


	4. It's School Time!

**Hullo, dearest reader! My, my! After a couple of decades, I've finally updated! Such a miracle! xD Hahaha! Anyway, chapie 3 is up, and please R&R!  
><strong>

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><p>"...ke...p..."<p>

I heard a muffled voice as I slept, feeling something rubbing my head. I tried to swat it away lazily, since I wanted to sleep more, but then, I realized that I was in my wolf form, and that I hit my own snout as I tried to swat the thing that was rubbing my head.

"...W...ke...up...!"

The muffled voice was getting clearer, and I was slowly coming to my senses. But I still wanted to sleep, so I tried my best to ignore the voice and concentrate on sleeping.

That was one of the most horrible mistakes I've ever done.

"Wake the hell up!"

Before I could even react, I felt pain jolt across my whole body, coming from one spot on my back. Someone purposely did a flying kick behind me, and I was in so much pain and shock that I subconsciously morphed back to my human form.

"Gwaaahh!" I yelled, not moving from my current position. "It... hurts... Damnit..."

"Serves you right." I heard a familiar female voice.

I didn't want to move, so I just stayed lying on the carpet, trying to wait for the pain to fade.

_Serves me right for what? Sleeping?_, I thought, my eyes watering.

"Come on now, Toboe," Aika ordered, kneeling in front of me. "Stand up. Breakfast's ready."

I just groaned in response, slowly sitting myself up. I rubbed my painful back, and stretched in the process.

"Huaaa... You know, you didn't have to hit my back just to wake me up." I told Aika, who was still in her pajamas. "I could suffer from back pain for the rest of my life."

"Well, you have no idea how many times I've tried to wake you up." she said nonchalantly, dusting her hands like she dirtied her hands. "I've rolled you across the floor, pinched your nose, dragged you around, and I even tried to do wrestling moves on you - And you were still in your wolf form! But you only managed to groan till then. And that's when I kicked you."

"Oh." was the only thing I could say. People in my tribe said I was a heavy sleeper, but I didn't know I was _that_ a heavy sleeper.

I winced at the pain on my back, making me rub it again. I stretched slowly as I felt my long scarf loosen, and then I heard my own stomach growling. I laughed in embarrassment as I faced Aika, who was rolling her eyes as she gestured her hands towards the open door. I morphed to my wolf form and headed towards the kitchen, with Aika trailing behind me.

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><p>I guessed they never had a pet dog before, since they didn't feed me with dog food for breakfast, like last night. They probably just coincidentally had one then. I excitedly sat on the floor with 'my' dog bowl in front of me, sticking my tongue out and beating my tail around madly. Aika rolled her eyes at me, while her father placed two pancakes on my bowl. I tilted my head to the side, like a dog would do when confused. Which, in fact, I was.<p>

"Sorry 'bout your breakfast, pup," he apologized, petting my head as he did. "We didn't have any dog food left, so you get to eat pancakes today."

I just barked happily, telling him that it was okay. He smiled, and then made his way back to his seat. I started munching on my human food, whilst glancing at Aika now and then.

"So, Aika dear," her mom suddenly started a conversation. "what are you going to call him? He's a male, isn't he?"

She nonchalantly pointed me with her spoon, while I looked over at Aika, who was obviously faking thoughts. I growled inaudibly as I stared at Aika, who was grinning slightly.

"Yeah, he's a male." Aika replied, her index finger under her chin. "So, what should I call him?"

_Don't you dare, Aika. Don't you dare._, I thought, silently finishing my breakfast. _If I ever get stuck with a stupid dog name, I'll use my scarf to strangle you to death._

There was an awkward silence following that, until Aika broke into a grin as she glanced over at me.

"Heh, I guess I'll just call him Toboe then." she confirmed, a playful grin plastered on her face.

I sighed in relief, and then did a quick glare at Aika, as if saying, _You had me worried over nothing._ After that, breakfast was eaten with silence. And, the thing is, Aika didn't even tell me she had school today.

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><p>"What? You're going to <em>school<em>?" I shockingly asked, unable to see anything because of the blindfold I was wearing. "What do you mean by that?"

We were both inside Aika's room, and the two of us just finished our baths (Oh gawd, the water was so cold, it _burned_), with me already dressed and Aika still wearing her towel. Hence, the blindfolding. I suggested I wait outside until she was done dressing, but she said she wouldn't let me out of her sight 'cause she thought I might get in trouble around the house. Oh, and yeah, I'm in human form. I couldn't use my sense of sight then, but I could still use my sense of smell and hearing.

"Do I have to explain to you what a school is, Toboe?" I heard Aika exclaim in annoyance. "It's a place where you learn and study. You should definitely go there, with your current intellect and all."

"Hey! I'm not stupid!" I snapped, and then suddenly heard a zipper closing up. "And I know what a school is, Aika! What I meant was, you're seriously going to leave me here? In your house? With your parents?"

"Toboe, father is a collector, have you forgotten? He's usually not home. And mother works, too, so she comes home in the evening. Anyway, I won't be leaving you here. Who knows what you would do to this house when you're all alone?"

"Then, where am I going? To a dogsitter's house?"

"Sigh, are you really that stupid, Toboe? You're coming with me to school."

I paused, a bit startled at what she just said. I could hear her footsteps getting closer towards me, muffled by the carpet on the floor I was sitting on. I suddenly felt her take off the blindfold across my eyes, making me flutter my eyes open. I rubbed them with my fists, and then looked up to see Aika in her school uniform, her brown hair down by her mid-back and still a bit soaked.

"You can wander off the school if you want to when I'm in class, but just make sure you come back when it's lunch time and dismissal time, which are around twelve noon and four in the afternoon respectively." she ordered, making her way to the mirror as she grabbed a comb. "And don't let yourself get caught by the school staff. It'll be a problem if you were spotted lurking in the school grounds."

"Yes, ma'am." I playfully saluted as I straightened my back.

Aika then continued to comb her hair, with me sighing from boredom. I rubbed the red shirt I was wearing, which was apparently Aika's, but it fitted me just fine. After she combed her hair, we went out of her room with me in my wolf form, with her all prepared for school. As we left the house, after Aika said and waved goodbye to her parents, I went back to human again.

"So, mistress Aika," I said in a sophisticated-like tone. "where is thy school?"

"Shut up, Toboe," the wolf girl responded, continuing to walk towards she-knows-where. "And don't talk like that. It doesn't fit you."

I just grinned back at her, fixing the grayish scarf around my neck. I ran a hand through my hair, which was combed before, but now a bit messy. I wanted to just let my silver hair be messy after I took a bath back at Aika's house, but the said girl wouldn't allow it, and forcefully combed it for me. Well, I just couldn't resist it and just let myself mess it up. As Aika knew where she was going, I decided to do little detours during our walk towards her school, trying to familiarize myself with the surroundings. She had already scolded me a couple of times already; but oh well, I'd be what you'd call a 'disobedient dog.'

"Toboe! Don't you dare chase that cat!" she once yelled at me as I found myself face-to-face with a stray cat. My instincts kicked in, and I growled at the hissing feline as I crouched down on fours. I was about to pounce at the said cat, when Aika slapped the back of my head to snap me out of my instincts. The cat ran away immediately, and Aika scolded me for three good minutes like she was reprimanding a misbehaving dog.

For the next twenty minutes, I've been going into trouble while Aika tried to _keep_ me out of trouble, until finally, we reached the wolf girl's school. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was pretty big, and I could see numerous students, male and female, loitering in the school grounds. It seemed that class hadn't started yet, making Aika sigh in relief. We both stood in front of the gates of the school, and I examined the outfits of the other students around.

The girls, like Aika's, had a white blouse with a gray collar and gray tie, along with gray outlines on the edge of the sleeves. They also had gray skirts and black shoes. The boys had a polo with a gray tie, along with gray pants and black shoes. I didn't realize that I was narrowing my eyes while examining the people around, until Aika snap me out of my thoughts.

"Toboe, what's wrong?" she asked. "Why are you narrowing your eyes?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," I quickly replied, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "Go on! School's about to start. I'll be fine."

Aika eyed me suspiciously, but then shrugged me off, telling me one more time to come back here around noon for lunch. I just told her that I will, and that she was such a nag. I earned another punch on the shoulder. I waved goodbye at her with a smile as she made her way inside, holding up a hand as a goodbye. After she was out of sight, I then continued to walk the sidewalk, a bit uncomfortable of the few stares that were directed to me from the other students in the school. As I covered a good distance away from school, I decided to explore the entire town, considering that it was the main reason I came here after all. And while I would do that, I'd think about my mysterious dream, too.

_Well, it was just a dream after all_, I started to think, leaping on top of a wall, and then climbed up to the roof of some house. _It couldn't be real, or anything._

I got to the top, and then started scanning around, trying to spot possible places where that Lost Precious could be. I then leaped to the next nearest house roof, and continued till I got to another unfamiliar area. I started scanning again.

_But what if it was a Lost Precious? Was it possible?_, I thought. _To control someone's dreams... Probably..._

I sighed in frustration and then leaped to another roof once again, making my way through the houses as I stopped on another unfamiliar area. There was a different school around, and it seemed like the students were in the middle of class. My mischievous side kicked in, and I decided to infiltrate the school grounds. Well, I was still looking for the Lost Precious, right? It might be around this school... Who knows?

I managed to climb up the school gates and duck for cover in case some guards were patrolling the area, slowly making my way inside one of the buildings. I slipped inside the hallway, and when I deemed there was no one around, I then casually walked through the hall, careful not to make any noise. I started looking around. I checked every single door in every floor, mindfully avoiding the classrooms that were occupied. I was about to turn to a corner, when I suddenly spotted a sign that showed an arrow pointing to the right, saying, _'Cafeteria'_. As if on cue, my stomach growled, so I made my way to the said cafeteria.

I peeked inside the cafeteria room, and then saw that it was practically empty, except for the cafeteria lady working by the counter. I smirked, and then quietly slipped inside without a sound. I tiptoed my way inside, careful to be out of the cafeteria lady's vision. My eyes caught a newly cooked hamburger by the counter, making me grin widely. Hey, I've stolen lots of food before; a burger wouldn't hurt, right? Unfortunately, the cafeteria lady was working by the counter, but she wouldn't be much of a problem. I then crawled my way towards the side of the counter, peeking a bit to the side to see if the cafeteria lady was preoccupied with her work. She was, so I slowly reached my hand up, feeling my way towards the burger. I suddenly felt the plate it was placed on and was about to grab it, when the school bell suddenly blared, almost making me jump from surprise.

_What the hell!_, I thought, retreating my hand and quietly scrambling away from the counter. I crawled towards the nearest window, opened it, and leaped outside, leaving the cafeteria lady to wonder who opened the said window. I landed on the grassy ground, and then darted away from the window, making my way towards the other side of the building. As I ran, I saw the students come out of their rooms, simultaneously going towards the same direction. I glanced at one of the school clocks hanging by the wall, and saw that it was already around twelve noon.

_Oh, shoot._, I immediately thought, climbing up the wall to get outside the campus. _Aika's going to kill me._

I leaped from the top of the wall and landed on the ground, startling the passers-by around. I ignored them, and then tried to find my way back to Aika's school. I darted away, and then leaped on a different wall, and then to the roof of some house. I looked around, and from far away, I could see the familiar structure of the wolf girl's school. I hurriedly leaped my way towards the said school through the roofs of the houses, ignoring the civilians that saw me.

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><p>By the time I was already around the vicinity of the school, I could already see Aika impatiently waiting for me by the school gates. As soon as she noticed me running towards her, she immediately gave me one of her usual death glares, making me grin sheepishly. I panted after I stopped in front of her, grouching down as I rested my hands on my knees.<p>

"You're late." she pointed out. I gave a nervous laugh in response. She sighed, and then turned around towards the school. "Come on. It's lunch time, so visitors are allowed inside the school."

"Yes, ma'am!" I playfully saluted, following my said mistress inside the school building.

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><p><strong>Okie dokie! Done! Then, please review! :3<br>**


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